Time for another PARRRRTY!

Speaking of annual traditions, my girls and I recently hosted our 2nd annual Pirate Parrrty! Since we knew what we were doing this time, the decor was even better than our maiden voyage last year.

Present and decked out for this year's parrrty: My twin. Everyone gets us confused, or at least thinks we're related. Everyone. Except, personally, we can't really see it. Can you?

















Since I like combining unrelated adventures lately, here is a snippet from a picture scavenger hunt we recently did. I know exactly what you're thinking: WHERE is Princess?!

Purple Scream Walks for Lupus, part II - the sequel!

It's true, I've been here long enough to start talking about "2nd Annuals." Another year, another Lupus walk through the streets of DC, another clown painting butterflies, and another awesome t-shirt.

The walk was a little less scenic this time around...lots of sharing the sidewalk with tourists...

What adventures will Kim aspire to next??

On a completely unrelated side note, Marcia and I stumbled upon this revival, just down the street from the Lupus Walk finish line. I love how The Simpsons are their classic example of a dysfunctional family. Isn't DC great?

Cumpleaños Feliz

Backtracking just a bit, it was my birthday last week!! The celebrations range from dancing the weekend before (to the wonderful mixins of Sasha and Digweed, for any of you progressive aficionados out there), to a pirate parrrty to take place this coming weekend. On the big day, it was Mexican food with some of my awesome friends.

Cherry Blossoms strike again!

This is my favorite time of year in DC. It's not really cold anymore, and it's not humid yet. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Perfect time for a parade.

My friends and I volunteered again to take part in the Cherry Blossom Festival, and we got to be ushers for the parade, which basically meant front-row seats to see Bob the Builder. It was cool to see all the participants from Japan and random places around the country (including the marching band from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah?!) and just to enjoy being in the city on a nice day. This part of DC is so beautiful.

Having had multiple roommates and friends from Texas, I have a pretty solid grasp of the concept of Texas pride. With that in mind, I can say with surety that only from Texas would you ever find a phenomena such as this: the dance team incorporating a Texas-shaped prop into their dance. (As an aside, at my house we had a Texas Independence Day party. There was cake, and we sang happy birthday to Texas. If you were there and not an actual "citizen" of the great state, you were given a temporary visa for the night. I'm not even kidding. It was fantastic.)

It was an especially enjoyable day because I got to hang out with Princess and Marcia, which hasn't happened for far too long. They were even with me to enjoy the highlight of my day - seeing this truck:

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Brian Regan, I suggest you follow this link immediately so you, too, can experience the joy that is seeing some of your favorite comedy in real life. It reminds me of when my mom and I were driving across the country and we saw a sign that said "Blasting Zone Ahead."

Two weeks in the Rockies

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever been an aunt or uncle that 99% of the pics I took while I was home were of the kids. (What can I say? They're incredibly photogenic!) Lucky for me, my surgery recovery was pretty tame, so I could still enjoy their company.

I caught Eva and Colby before they could ham it up.
Look at that hair!

Eva loves to love baby Lilia (pronounced "Wee-uh"
by the sibs). And I'm sure Lilia loves it, too.

Mia and Jack were grateful I didn't need all those
chocolate creamsicles.

There's just something about catching people sleeping
- in their most raw, vulnerable state. I can vouch for
this, having been caught plenty of times myself.

Here's just such a photo, of me and Colby
pretending to sleep. Aren't we such good fakers??

Kissing cousins? Jack ("Ssack") and Eva ("EE-ba")

Kissing cousins part II? Mia and Colby

I must add, this photo is slightly deceiving. Colby looks like he just wants to escape, while Mia looks like they're BFFs. In reality, Colby spent the whole week trying to get Mia to stop ignoring him and warm up to him. (It was an interesting example of what happens when you put two oldest siblings together.) But he didn't let it get him down - he's a persistent kid! By the time I left, they were playing together. You just can't get the vibe of the true story from this picture, and for whatever reason, I feel some sort of obligation to clear the air and set everyone straight. Now I feel better.

The other 1% of pics were of the rodeo (which I've already told you all about) and my dad's handiwork in getting the new chandelier installed...all I can say is, you just had to be there to appreciate.